Matlab’s syntax for matrices actually derives from Fortran. There’s a lot of flexibility in Fortran’s array features for

• multidimensional arrays
• arrays of indeterminate and flexible length
• vectorized operations on arrays without explicitly writing loops.

Because Fortran does not have a pointer in the sense of C, the Fortran compiler is free to make several optimization that a C compiler can’t. Compiled Fortran is often faster than C code that does the same thing.

Could be money laundering

In NASA’s lessons learned database, there’s one where the probe made out all the way to its destination, but the pictures came back all black. Because they forgot to take off the lens cap.

I am not a lawyer, and I am not your lawyer.

Off the top of my head, I can’t really see where or how this is illegal in most US jurisdictions. In “at will” states you can be hired or fired at any time for any reason* or no reason. And likewise you can quit at any time for any reason or no reason. If you can be hired or fired based on this scam, you can be promoted or held back based on it.

Having said that, this is really scammy, and I would not want to work there.

*except discrimination based on: race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age (>40), or genetics. Likewise, retaliation for unlawful sexual harassment.

Seizing a private dwelling for military use… That’s an act that’s so heinous it has its very own amendment. It seems like we’re speedrunning to get all 27.

Do you mean that the script was written by the family, and it was only “performed” by generative AI? That’s very interesting, and not something I heard anywhere else.

Legally speaking, this was a victim impact statement.

Convicted criminals have long had the common law right of allocution, where they can say anything they want directly to the judge before sentence is passed.

Starting a few decades ago, several states decided that the victims of crime should have a similar right to address the judge before sentencing. And so the victim impact statement was created.

It’s not evidence, and it’s not under oath, but it is allowed to influence the sentencing decision.

(Of course, victim impact statements are normally given by real victims).

+1 for MAGAt wielding the AK-style magazine with the big curve.

Sheesh, imagine being that priest, doing daily status updates skipping about 23 levels of chain of command.

This Pope had a personal charity underling who would walk the streets of Rome and hand out cash to people who needed it. The money came from selling autographed indulgences. So I’m not surprised in the least.

When I installed Linux for the first time around that time frame, I had to write X configs (for XFree86, not X.org) by hand. And be sure to get your monitor timings exactly right or risk permanent damage, said the scary warning.

Yep, on the grounds that the dragon is not an allegation, a claim for damages, or a request for relief.

The problem of getting power to startup equipment is one thing, but there’s another cool problem that this article covers but I don’t think explained very well.

A power grid is a massive distributed physical system. The energy input must exactly match the energy output at all times.

But what happens when the energy ins and outs are not balanced? The answer is that a balance is found somehow. Physics demands it.

If there is excess power on the grid and no electrical load, that power comes back to the generator (s). The turbines or whatever driving the generators produce more torque than the retarding torque from the generator coils, so they speed up. The AC grid frequency is mostly maintained by the rotating generator speed (3000 rpm for 50 Hz), so that goes up too.

Conversely, if there is excess load and not enough power, electrical drag from the generator coils exceeds the torque from the turbine (or whatever), and the generator slows down. The operator has to burn more fuel, or pull out control rods, or open more water gates, to get the speed back up.

So what is the black start challenge here? You have to go from 0 W to whatever GW the grid normally runs at. Normally when a generator plant is switched onto the grid, that gen represents a small fraction of the total grid power, so the disturbance to the grid is small. But coming back from a black start that’s not true. Going from 1 plant online to 2: you could be doubling the power level. This means you have to switch on loads (possibly many km away) at the exact same time you switch in the power. If the disturbance is too much, various equipment will trip off the grid as the AC frequency careens out of control.

I work in engineering, sometimes with startup types that want to develop a “product”. I’m also a coinventor on some patent applications. This response will be based on US perspective and economics.

1. First before all, do a patent search. This is to find out if someone already patented your ideas. If so, you either need to pay them royalties to license the patent(s) or rework your product to avoid the patents. Google Patents is highly accessible for this.
2. Then, if you think you have original, patentable ideas, engage a patent attorney to do a “real” search and to work on filings. This will take money (at least 10s of thousands US) for the initial work. All the major legal jurisdictions are “first to file,” so it no longer helps to mail your notebooks to yourself for proof of date of invention. You have to at least file a provisional application to get a patent priority date. Keep everything top secret until you have that application. Execute non disclosure agreements (NDAs) with any outside firm or individual you talk with. 2b. As an aside, software is not generally patentable any more, on the grounds that math formulas are also not patentable. There may still be some ability to patent software-oriented ideas as business methods or the like. Just because the patent office issued a software patent doesn’t mean it’s enforceable. Courts hold patents to be invalid all the time.
3. I want to impress upon you some view of the real costs of prototype design and what is known as “nonrecurring engineering” (NRE) in the biz. You don’t say, but it sounds like you want some amount of custom electronics coupled with some backend software. Costs can vary considerably depending on circumstance, but I would typically see 100k-300k USD in design and prototype build costs to get initial prototypes with some limited functionality for these components. It could very well take 1 million USD or more to get a more complete product design. This also depends a lot on how you engage engineering talent: turnkey consultants can be the most expensive, or you could save a bunch of up front labor cost by offering equity to a key designer. 3b. I don’t know how complicated this app is, but it’s not unusual for software engineering costs to overshadow the hardware engineering costs, and sometimes by a lot. This might be something to keep in mind if you’re contemplating app development up front paired with virtual hardware plans.
4. A “virtual design” for hardware that is just drawings could be done for cheaper than the prototype quote I gave. I see common prices for that kind of work at least 10k and up to 50k depending on how much initial design work you want or need done (and how the talent is engaged, etc, etc).
5. Manufacturing. Depends of course on what is going into your gadget and how many units you plan to build.
   5a. Custom PCBs can commonly be run in low volumes for relatively cheap. It’s more expensive to solder the components on than just to etch the boards. There are many board houses that let you turn in your design files and get a quote online. 5b. For startup that wants a low volume (~100) of some gadget, you might want to look into contract manufacturers. These will assemble your product per drawings, typically in a non-automated or low-automation fashion. For example, they might have pick and place machines and expensive wave flow solder machines to assemble PCBs, but then the boards are screwed into enclosures by hand. These places might run double or triple the per unit cost of a more automated setup, but it can still be the best option for low numbers of units. 5c. Overseas manufacturing can cut costs through reduced labor bills. The traditional hurdles in the startup environment are long shipping lead times (particularly by sea, 10-12 weeks not uncommon) and the added hassle and complexity of international business dealings. In the US particularly, the recent tariff situation is throwing a monkey wrench right in the middle of this, and I will not attempt to analyze the impact. 5d. A commonly surprising manufacturing cost: if using injection molded plastic for enclosures or the like, the custom molds can cost several 10s of thousands to build and store. This is a fixed cost, so it doesn’t impact the per unit for large volumes, but it is often an expensive hurdle in the total manufacturing process for small startups.
6. Regulatory. It’s highly likely that any consumer facing gadget will need at least some regulatory testing, probably from a dedicated contract test house For example in the US, Underwriters Laboratory (UL) demands safety testing, and the FCC can require “part 15” testing and separate testing if you have a radio (such as WiFi or Bluetooth). As an exercise you could try looking up all of the various logos on the bottom of your favorite gizmo or in the fine print in the manual.

“Because they were prevented from restocking, they are now out of food, but this condition need not continue if they are restocked.”. Is that good enough?

Tri bikes usually have clip-in pedals so humans can do this too.

I’m pretty sure nobody registers their personal smartphone and laptop every time they leave the US for a vacation.

I agree with you on this, but CBP is certainly within their legal rights to interrogate you on the origins of your personal electronics, and they can make a determination that your stuff is subject to duty if it’s over the limit and they don’t believe you are reimporting.

For residents of the United States the duty free limit when returning is 800 dollars worth of stuff. I believe that’s every thirty days. You usually have to answer whether you exceed this limit in the declaration.

So you just go to Canada, buy the thing, unpack it from the packaging, and pretend like its just personal items. Just like a smartphone.

If tariffs become a big thing, this will definitely happen more, but it will also get a lot more scrutiny from customs as well.

AFIAK, border agents usually don’t ask if you bought your phone in the US or from outside, they shouldn’t ask about other personal electronics, right?

Stuff that you exported and reimported for personal or business use, but not for resale, is exempt from duty with no dollar limits. If you want documented proof that you are reimporting, you can register the stuff at a customs office in the United States before you leave.

Now the branches come too close to grinding irrevocably against one another in a conflict that promises to diminish both. This is a losing proposition all around. The Judiciary will lose much from the constant intimations of its illegitimacy, to which by dent of custom and detachment we can only sparingly reply. The Executive will lose much from a public perception of its lawlessness and all of its attendant contagions. The Executive may succeed for a time in weakening the courts, but over time history will script the tragic gap between what was and all that might have been, and law in time will sign its epitaph.

• Judge Wilkinson. Circuit Judge. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. Appointed by Ronald Reagan.

Move fast and break things.

This YouTube channel is doing a great job of covering the engineering-related testimony from the Coast Guard board of inquiry.

Lots of details on hoop stresses, strain gauges, carbon fiber layup, dome window design, and of course engineers getting their technical objections overruled for cost and schedule reasons.